Cross Encounters – The Book

From the Publisher: “‘DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST’ were amongst the last words of admonition the Apostle Paul gave to his young son in the faith, Timothy, before he died. The church and all those in the ranks of her ministry have wrestled with these words ever since. TONY MIANO is a man with a deep and passionate desire to fulfill those words. In ‘Cross Encounters: A Decade of Gospel Conversations,’ he seeks to take you along with him as he shares the glorious gospel with an incredibly diverse people. This is not a book for the faint of heart, but it is a book for those genuinely seeking to understand and obey Paul’s words to Timothy. Take up and read!”

From the Foreword: “A resource such as ‘Cross Encounters: A Decade of Gospel Conversations,’ where conversations are transcribed, proves to instruct, humble, and stir us up to zealous evangelism. Let God’s people read this volume with gospel-believing gladness and with humble delight in observing how God uses faithful witnesses to speak His gospel to the lost so that the Spirit of grace may grant new birth!”

“The Word of God tells us that Jesus went about ‘doing good’ (Acts 10:38) and we also know from Scripture that Jesus relentlessly devoted Himself to preaching all over Israel (Luke 4:44; 9:6). May we read ‘Cross Encounters’ with a prayerful heart, a captivated spirit, a lowly gladness, and a renewed resolve, all shrouded with an indomitable confidence in the absolute sovereignty of God to save sinners through the faithful telling of the gospel. And in the end, let us faithfully proclaim Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2) and fervently pray that the Word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified (2 Thessalonians 3:1). To God be the glory.”

Endorsements

“Several years ago, I received a call. My Dad had been ill for some time with cancer of the esophagus. Based on the tone of the call, I was very concerned Dad was not going to live much longer. I wanted him to hear the Gospel again, but I was not going to be able to get there for days—it really was not possible because of the distance and other factors.

“I called Tony. Even though he was 150 miles away and would have to contend with some traffic and a lot of unknowns (would my Dad see him, etc.), Tony agreed to go.

“Why Tony? He not only led me to Christ (humanly speaking), but I knew he would act with compassion for my Dad, the retired deputy sheriff. I knew he would relate to my Dad. And, most importantly, I knew he would leave no truth unexplained and would do all he could to preach Christ and Him crucified to my Dad. What a blessing that was to me!

“Over the 25-plus years that I’ve known Tony, the Lord has transformed him into a formidable weapon. To have the boldness Tony possesses must be a work of the Spirit of God. Only He can make a man fearless in the face of adversity. It is easy to be harsh or dismissive, but Tony is blessed by a keen empathy for the lost and an unyielding desire to glorify Christ by preaching His Gospel.

“‘Cross Encounters’ contains some of the highlights of his public ministry. I highly commend it to you. May his compassion for the lost and zeal for the truth infect you. We need more Tonys—men and women unashamed of the Gospel and confident of its transforming power. May the Lord create in you such boldness! May the Lord use Tony in your life as He has done with many—including me.”

“Tony is one of those evangelists it seems like everyone in the city knows. He is easy to find, and faithful in his presentation of the gospel. ‘Cross Encounters’ is a book about his decade of experiences in evangelism. It is one-part instructional—such as lessons on dealing with law enforcement, abortion ministries, and airplane evangelism—and one-part SportsCenter highlights of evangelism encounters. In a conversational style, Tony brings you along with him, and gives you a front-row seat to powerful evangelism. Reading this book will give increase your passion to share the gospel, and it will grow your confidence to handle objections. I’m grateful for this book.”

“Tony Miano’s book ‘Cross Encounters’ is a gripping account of actual conversations between a gospel-pleading evangelist and those who desperately need to hear the good news that Jesus saves. Knowing myself personally about his ministry of open-air preaching, I am genuinely thankful for Tony–and others like him–who stand boldly on the front lines of the world’s hostile unbelief, and yet who remain, as Christian preachers, steadfastly unafraid to lovingly proclaim salvation by faith alone in Christ. Would to God that there were many more like Tony who risk inevitable ridicule for their faith (and soon perhaps even strong persecution for their very public testimony). They simply do this in the hopes of seeing sinners bow their knees in humble adoration to God the Father for the gift of His Son! I therefore encourage you, if indeed you are already a Christian, to scrutinize this volume and see for yourself how important and vital evangelism truly is to our decadent and dying culture. If you are not a Christian however, I nevertheless implore you to embark upon a careful reading of this book’s many personal experiences of Tony’s witnessing to others, and I earnestly pray that you may stake your own eternal destiny solely on the Lord Jesus Christ, personally encountering His glorious cross.”

“It is an incomprehensible tragedy and an act of stunning disobedience that the vast majority of professing believers are so apathetic in regards to evangelizing the lost. By God’s grace, however, He does have servants heralding His glorious Gospel.

“In detailing real life evangelistic exchanges with everyday people, Cross Encounters, by Tony Miano, offers both a gentle yet unmistakable rebuke to the apathetic as well as great encouragement to God’s people to verbally proclaim the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. ‘Cross Encounters’ is real, it is practical, and it is engaging.

“The true power of God is not in watering down the message, seeker-sensitive church services, signs and wonders, ‘friendship evangelism,’ or any other modern distortion of the Great Commission. The true power of God is the Gospel itself (Rom. 1:16) as this book by Miano so compellingly illustrates. It is the only means by which the Shepherd calls to Himself His sheep. I pray that Cross Encounters will be used by God to jolt multitudes out of their evangelistic apathy and spur them, and indeed all of us, on to glorify Christ by obeying His command to verbally communicate His Gospel. I am grateful for this opportunity to enthusiastically commend this work to you.”

“In our confused evangelical church culture, the gospel remains veiled due to an improper commitment to ‘friendship evangelism’ and an unhealthy focus on positivity that refuses to deal with the negative reality of sin. Tony Miano does an excellent job of employing both heat and light in a balanced and fruitful way of fulfilling the Great Commission while providing a valuable resource that’s both readable and relevant.”

“Tony Miano provides something that few do. He provides real life examples from a real life evangelist regarding real life evangelism encounters. Miano is not someone who speaks primarily to professed Christians inside church meeting houses, but is someone who has spent many years proclaiming good news to the lost in the open air. This volume provides just a taste of those many Gospel encounters. From the aspiring evangelist desiring to know how, to the veteran preacher who needs encouragement, this book will be a blessing. Here, a man leaves his footprints in the poorly traveled path of guts-and-grit evangelism, in the hopes that others follow. They should.”

“In ‘Cross Encounters,’ Tony Miano captures real-life gospel encounters that are sure to bless the church by equipping the saints in the realms of biblical evangelism, apologetics, and discernment. Within its pages you will be brought down into the well of a sin-sick world where the light of the gospel clearly exposes what lurks in the dark. The reader will be exposed to the heart of the evangelist and challenged to pray that more workers be raised up for the harvest. This work deserves a prominent place in every Christian home and into the hands of lost family members and friends.

I was sincerely moved by all the encounters and the love that was expressed for each and every person that God sent Tony’s way. These real-life encounters brought to mind this quote by Charles Spurgeon:

‘If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.’

“Educational and inspirational, this work is sure to bless all who read it, and it is sure to be instrumental in igniting renewed worship of our great God. The reader will see in this collection of stories the Father’s love, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the redeeming grace of the Lord Jesus Christ while, at the same time, being led to understand the perils of our time as the author powerfully demonstrates how pragmatism and false gospels have permeated the culture.”

“If someone had approached me four years ago to discuss street evangelism, I probably would have said, ‘I suppose that’s okay to do, but the church I pastor won’t be doing that any time soon.’ Today, my church family goes to two different abortion mills (over 50 miles away), eight times each month. Our congregation of 40+ adults has distributed more than 5,000 gospel tracts in just the past two months. We have open-air preached at more than 15 venues in the past year. I boast in the Lord and I testify that it has been the evangelistic ministry of Tony Miano is THE biggest encouragement we have received. In other words, God has used Tony Miano’s written and recorded gospel conversations to spur us on to love and good works.

“I encourage every pastor to read ‘Cross Encounters’ and allow its contents to grow in you a love for the gospel, as well as a love for the dead sinners who need its saving power. As you read this important book, please consider this: ‘If not you and your local assembly, then who?'”

“I recently read, with great delight and enjoyment, Tony Miano’s latest book entitled ‘Cross Encounters: A Decade of Gospel Conversations.’ I had a hard time putting down the book. ‘Cross Encounters’ is a practical, biblical, and theologically accurate book on all sorts of evangelistic methodologies–from open-air preaching, to passing out gospel tracts, to sharing Christ at the local shopping mall. If you are looking for practical ways to do the work of an evangelist and how to engage people in gospel conversations, then this book is for you. Anyone considering the somewhat fearful task of wading into the unknown waters of evangelistic outreach will be inspired, instructed, and motivated to plunge right in and see what God will choose to do. I wholeheartedly commend ‘Cross Encounters: A Decade of Gospel Conversations’ to you. You will love this book!”

“‘Cross Encounters: A Decade of Gospel Conversations’ should be in the hands of every Christian, and in the hands of every lost person those Christians desperately desire to see rescued from the tight and relentless clutches of Satan and his minions. It is an invaluable blueprint for public evangelism, and a captivating clarion for those still in darkness who need to know that others before them, ensnared in the same trap, have been delivered from captivity and death by a gracious, merciful and loving Emancipator, the sinless and holy and righteous King who is a friend of sinners, Jesus the Christ.”

“‘Cross Encounters: A Decade of Gospel Conversations’ is a refreshing and motivating book on engaging people with the Good News. Reading this book is like following Tony around from place to place and listening in on his conversations with those he encounters, with a few stops along the way to receive helpful tips and instructions.”

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